It is not everyday that we get military-class devices hitting the market for us civilians, but sometimes, military hardware can be an inspiration for civilian law enforcement equipment. Check out this DIY launchable camera which was part of the show at this year’s Defcon. Hackers Vlad Gostom and Joshua Marpet came up with this camera that has been modeled after an Israeli surveillance device, where it’s function is to resemble that of a 40mm military grenade launcher. Should you ever find yourself to be in a particular tight spot, you can always use this device to deliver an aerial view of what’s going on around you – taking note of threats in the vicinity, before mapping out a game plan to dig yourself out of the situation without suffering any from being a statistic.
What this DIY project does is to custom build it to fit within a 37mm flare gun. The flare launchers are now available for civilian use, and when launched, the camera will activate itself, delivering some seconds of video straight to a wireless receiver so that you get a bird’s eye view of the situation around.
It is estimated that this particular high-tech camera system will not cost more than half a grand at retail, but the road ahead is a long and arduous one since the initial test flight maxed out at a mere 30 feet – far too short to be of any use if it were to make its way to the general market.